After the End
by TheGodMachine
Summary: [Far and Away]After finding their land Christine and Joseph return to the camp to dress his wounds


Something quick I right after the ending in 'far and away'. It's my favorite movie and recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it to go out and rent it and not judge it by my poorly-written and plotless story.

**After the End**

Joseph's head throbbed, unknown to him, as he and Shannon thrust their flag into the ground. He felt numb to everything; despite his fatal head injury except the fact the he had Shannon. She loved him.

She sat right next to him on the ground and pulled him close to her so his head rested on her shoulder. She had long since released her hair from her bun and it fell as a cushion onto her shoulders. She smiled at him softly and kissed his fore head.

"This is your land, Joseph," She softly in thick Irish accent. "Can you believe it? After everything we've been through, you finally have your land, with the rolling pastures and the winding river."

She rubbed his mop-like brown hair away from his eyes. "Just like we dreamed." He said quietly. Shannon only looked at him and nodded. He was staring at the setting sun but felt her hair stretch as she nodded. To think such beautiful land was given freely away by these Americans. Oklahoma was a beautiful country and yet they had to give the land away for free.

Joseph's only wish was for his father and his brother's, Colm and Paddy to see him now, Hell, even and Danty. He knew Danty and and his father would be proud but Colm and Paddy were another story. The two of them, the beastly drunkards, would probably begin by rambling about how they always believed in him and knew he would get his land. Then they would both immigrate over here and mooch off his land like the smarmy turds of brothers they were.

He shook his head just as the heavy beating of a horse galloping towards them reached his ears.

"Joseph, look," Shannon helped him stand and the two looked onto the hill just before the sunset. A man in uniform was riding towards them. As he stopped he pulled out a board full of papers and a righting utensil.

"Name?" He asked.

"Donnely, Joseph," Shannon answered. She still held onto him tightly. "Of the Donnelly

"Uh-huh, and lot number?" He asked.

"Uh, oh," Shannon muttered. "Joseph, stay here." He wavered as Shannon left his side to fetch a flag. "196." (I don't remember the flag number)

She rushed back and grabbed Joseph's arm.

"A'ight, you should return to the camp ground until we can get some houses built out here. You best take him to a hospital, little lady, before he dies, too," and with that the uniformed man ran off.

"All right, come on," she said and the two began to walk to Shannon's horse which was grazing in the field. "We best take my horse, yours seems to have run off. And I wouldn't trust the likes of him either, mm-mm! The devil he was."

Joseph just smiled. Yeah, that green broke horse was a nightmare. The horse wouldn't stop to let him and he had to jump off. Luckily he wasn't hurt of his fight with Stephen could have been much worse.

Shannon saddled the horse first then helped Joseph get on behind her. She grabbed his two hands and wrapped them around her waist and together they ran off to camp.

It was nearly twenty minutes late when they reached their location. The large tents were full of drunks, whores, and cowboys betting and letting off steam. Today's Oklahoma land race was full of adrenaline and testosterone. Like Grace said 'They just had some gun powder in them that needed to go off."

Shannon road to her father's camp and thanked God when she saw that Stephen was gone. Along the way Joseph must've fallen asleep because he lay limp on her back as she hollered that they were here.

"Shannon!" A loud drunken voice slurred. She looked around and saw her father, Daniel Christi, stumbled over to her.

"Father!" She cried, "Its Joseph!"

"Who?" He cried loudly.

Shannon looked at him dumbstruck but when she saw the bottle of alcohol in his hands she let out and aggravated growl.

"Mother! Mother, come quick!" and just as she cried Nora Christi came running to her.

"Shannon, praise the Lord, you're allright! Where's Stephen, Where is he?" She cried.

"He left mother," She cried as she climbed down from the saddle. "But Joseph—"

"AHHH! Oh, what is 'he' doing here?" She pointed her think white finger at joseph who was by now sliding off the horse.

"He's hurt mother, we have to help him, please."

Nora made a face. "Alright, alright just…just get him down from their." Nora fluttered around the horse as Shannon by herself pulled her lover to the ground. Her father was too drunk to do anything except piss and was doing that right now…on a tent.

"get him over here," Nora commanded and preceeded to wash her hands in a bowl of water. All throughout the night she dressed his wound with help from Shannon. She thankfully asked few questions but Shannon knew she was dieing to speak.

"Wheres Stephen?" Nora asked just as dawn was breaking. Both Daniel and Joseph were lieng on blankets on the ground in deep slumber. Like father like future son-in-law. Shannon smirked as she and her mother washed their hands clean.

"I told you he left, mother."

"Why? He wouldn't just leave, you two were engaged."

"Well, he's not the man we thought he was," Shannon said with an edge in her voice. She clearly didn't want to speak about her ex-fiancé.

"Oh the saints preserve us," A deep voice moaned.

Shannon turned her head and saw Joseph roll onto his side. "You're awake!" She cried and ran into his hands.

"Umph, Shannon," He moaned.

"Get up. Get up. It's morning, Joseph!" She cried. Beside the pair Daniel began to stir.

"Oy! My head!" He cried out loudly.

Nora only shook her head and through piece of laundry on him. "Get up," She cried. "I wish you wouldn't drink so much. May be than you'd know what's going on. Stephen's disappeared and the scrapper who tried to kill you and kidnapped our daughter is here."

"Oh, is he?" Daniel asked pleasantly. For some reason he always did like Joseph even if he only met him because Joseph meant to assonate him.

"Did you hear me?" She cried. "I said Stephens gone"

"Stephen who?"

"You remember the scrapper but you don't remember Stephen Chase. Your assistant, your daughter's fience—"

"Mother, he's—"

"Shannon, stay out of this," Nora said and Shannon wisely stayed quiet. "The man who accompanied us hear and found your daughter in Boston. That Stephen!"

"Oooh, Now I remember…uh where is he again?"

"Ohhh!" Nora cried.

"You know, Joseph," Shannon said. "Your family may not be with us but welcome to mine." She giggled.

Joseph just smiled and leaned over kissed her.


End file.
